A Small Piece of Redemption
by Star Josherson
Summary: AU. On his hands hung the death of many innocents, but if he could just have that small piece of redemption then he would gladly take it. One-shot.


A/N: I was almost falling asleep when my incoherent musings led me to write this. It's a bit dark from what I usually write, but I couldn't resist this idea. Also, this character is seldom used, so I thought I outta do him some justice.

Without further due, enjoy!

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Cries, shouts, pleas for mercy were silenced by punches and kicks. The shuffling of feet and the hurried footsteps of many were stopped by the slashes of shuriken and kunai. Snaps and crunches were audible by the agonizing screams. Moans of pain could be heard here and there. He trembled with bloody kunai in hand. Each drop of innocent blood falling into the desecrated ground of the battlefield they had been forced to create. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes at the sight of littered lifeless bodies. These were innocent people. They were just civilians and shinobi alike.

They served the same village as he, so why? Why kill them? Why slaughter them like pigs? Why betray them in the worst way possible? Why massacre them in their own homes, in their own village, their own country? Why take away the sacrifices they had made? Why take their efforts, their hopes and dreams? His head turned away from the sight. He couldn't bear to look at it anymore. Over his head and his hands hung the deaths of many innocents that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

This was his fault. It was their entire fault. To kill an enemy was their duty. To kill your own countrymen went against the oath they had made to protect. Yet, here there were violating it, stomping their oath to the blood soaked ground.. It ran and soaked his feet. It felt wet. It felt like water, an endless river that intermingled with its killers. He had done the unimaginable. He had done a terrible sin. He had killed the people he had sworn to protect.

"Check for survivors," was the sole order. Instinctively, he knew what would happen to the survivors. They wouldn't survive today, not if they could help it.

The shinobi skipped various corpses and crossed the empty streets. Zealously he scanned everything. Any chakra source he detected would have to be eliminated. He secretly hoped, secretly begged than he didn't have to encounter anyone. Slowly, he inspected a house and its adjacent ones. There was one last one and he would get this over with.

He slowly opened the door and he looked on sadly. Everything was scattered over. Dishes broken in tiny pieces, the food still served in its table, chairs upside down and signs of struggle were visible. He climbed the stairs and with each step he felt the weight of his actions. 'One, two, three,' he counted in his head and breathed heavily.

So far, he hadn't sensed anything and that was a good thing. That meant he didn't have to kill anyone. He checked each room one by one carefully. There was one last room and he would leave. He took a step, then another. Left and right, one and two made a rhythm over its wooden surface. His left hand extended and he pushed the creaking door. Turquoise eyes scanned the room evenly and he froze at the spot. A mop of auburn hair tied in a ponytail with frightened green eyes met his.

All of things he didn't expect this. This was a child, a girl who looked no older than eleven. The hold of the kunai on his right hand tightened and he raised his hand to strike. The girl closed her eyes shut and clenched her mouth ready to receive the hit.

His lower lip trembled and he broke down sobbing. He couldn't, he just couldn't. His knees buckled to the floor and he kneeled to the girl in front of him. "Gomen nasai," he repeated over and over, tears silently falling to the wooden surface.

The girl stood frozen in place. All of things, she hadn't expected this. She had expected death, he knew that, but he couldn't. The ninja raised his head slowly and wiped his tears with his sleeve. Both of occupants in the room regarded each other silently. That was the only thing they could do, for now.

The shinobi regarded the kunai in his hand warily and then looked at the girl. He tossed it at the girl's feet. The child looked at him with wide eyes and looked between him and the kunai. He stood at full height and walked towards the entrance.

"W-Wait, w-what's your name?" he heard the girl ask behind him. He turned to look at her and shook his head.

"My name doesn't deserve to be remembered, especially people like me."

What the girl was going to say next was interrupted by shouts. Approaching steps could be heard also. "Ao, have you found any survivors?"

The blue-haired man stared at the girl and shouted back, "No, I haven't found any!"

Wordlessly, he turned his back and left the room. He slowly descended the stairs. His fellow shinobi only looked relieved to see him. Together, both men exited the house. Ao turned to look at the house one last time. A tiny bit of hope surged in his chest and the ghost of a smile appeared in his features. It wasn't much, but if he could just have that small piece of redemption then he would gladly take it.


End file.
